Sergio Rocha, left, CEO of GM Korea, and Ankush Arora, vice president of vehicle sales, service and marketing, pose with the 2013 Perfect Cruze on May 24 during the Busan International Motor Show at BEXCO in the port city. / Courtesy of GM Korea

By Kim Tae-jong

GM Korea has introduced its new strategy for further growth in the domestic market under the Chevrolet brand, as it unveiled a range of innovative new concept cars and production vehicles at the 2012 Busan Motor Show, which kicked off last week.

“2011 was a year to remember for GM Korea, as we made a successful transition with the launch of our new brand and new company name,” Sergio Rocha, president and CEO of GM Korea, said on May 24 during a news conference at the auto show in BEXCO. “We are presenting Chevrolet’s new care strategies for carrying on the momentum and making a second leap forward.”

Celebrating the second year of the Chevrolet brand in the domestic market, GM Korea is now showing a total of 19 vehicles at the auto show including the Korean premiere of the Youth concept cars, the Code 130R and Tru 140S, and the upgraded version of its best-selling global passenger car, the 2013 Cruze.

GM Korea said it will strengthen its customer services with a set of care strategies and new products and technologies.

The automaker has been already praised for its representative customer service program, called “Chevy Care 3-5-7,” one of the primary factors behind the brand’s successful launch in the Korean market last year.

The automaker also said another new strategy is sustainable growth dubbed “Ecologic,” which involves fuel-saving technologies, end-of-life recyclability and responsible manufacturing.

GM Korea vowed to produce environmentally-friendly vehicles with good fuel efficiency, saying it will continue developing a variety of fuel-saving powertrains and technologies and its diesel lineup will be further strengthened in the coming years.

It has already introduced clean diesel engines in the Cruze and Orlando models, and also launched the Alpheon eAssist, the first hybrid car in the large sedan segment in Korea.

Additionally, it is now applying environmentally-friendly technology across its entire product lineup with its vehicles designed and engineered to have 85 percent recyclability and 95 percent recoverability. GM Korea is also engaged in environmentally-friendly manufacturing as its facilities send less than 1 percent of their manufacturing by-product to landfills, conserving resources.

“While the Chevrolet Youth Concepts and our new Ecologic strategy represent Chevrolet’s long-term commitment to growing with our customers and protecting our environment,” Rocha said.

He also said the upcoming 2013 Cruze, making its domestic debut at the Busan Motor Show, will be the first vehicle in Korea to feature the Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system. It showcases Chevrolet’s strategy for leading in the Korean market by continuously launching innovative products and technologies.

Chevrolet MyLink is an innovative, next-generation infotainment system that comes at an affordable price. It will be available in the firm’s global mini, small and compact vehicles.

“The decision to apply Chevrolet MyLink technology to smaller vehicles such as the Cruze, Aveo and Spark at a reasonable price demonstrates that Chevrolet cares about all of its customers,” said Ankush Arora, vice president of vehicle sales, service and marketing for GM Korea. “Chevrolet is offering customers true value by making its innovative products and technology affordable.”